Locking support fixture

ABSTRACT

A pin locking apparatus ( 1 ) includes a housing, at least one pin ( 40 ) and at least one locking piston ( 11 ). The housing includes at least one locking bore ( 12 ) and at least one pin bore ( 14 ). The at least one pin is slidably contained within the pin bore and is positioned by application of pressure in the pin bore. The at least one locking piston is slidably contained within the locking bore and is actuated by pressure in the locking bore to apply a locking force on the pin.

This application is a continuation in part application of PCTapplication no. PCT/US02/38203, filed Nov. 26, 2002, which claimspriority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/394,536, filedJul. 8, 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to support fixtures and morespecifically to compliant locking support fixtures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Support fixtures for propping up workpieces have been widely used in theproduction of contoured parts from such varying applications as aircraftmanufacturing, medical operations and circuit board manufacturing.Regardless of the workpiece, it is important to be able to hold thepiece so that machining or further treatment operations can beperformed. Generally, support fixtures for holding articles comprise adevice containing vertically disposed adjustable pins or rods and meansfor securing the pins at a given vertical location. Exemplary supportfixtures are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,200,272 to Godding, 4,684,113to Douglas et al., 5,722,646 to Soderberg et al., and 5,984,293 toAbrahamson et al.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,272 to Godding discloses a work holder comprising aflat horizontal table in which is mounted a two-dimensional array ofvertically disposed spaced-apart rods which protrude upwards through thesurface. The rods can be moved upwards individually, either manually orby springs or by fluid pressure means such as rams, and then clamped inposition so that their tips form a cradle conforming to the shape of theworkpiece, in which the workpiece rests.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,113 to Douglas et al. discloses a holding fixturewhich has a contoured holding surface. The fixture includes a pluralityof workpiece engaging rods which are individually adjustable in height.A holding force is generated through the rods to hold the workpiece tothe fixture.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,646 to Soderberg et al. discloses a tooling systemhaving a support table with multiple openings adapted to removablyaccept a self-contained actuator. Each opening of the support tableprovides vacuum and air supply lines as well as a bus interface so thateach position may be uniquely addressed and commanded separately fromany other openings. The self-contained actuator has correspondingconnectors for receiving the vacuum and air supply as well as forinterfacing with the bus. An actuator may be placed at a particularlocation by insertion into the receptacle at the opening in the supporttable aperture. The actuator may be commanded to raise, lower, lock inposition and supply vacuum separate from any other actuator.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,293 to Abrahamson et al. discloses a fixture forholding printed circuit board assemblies during stencil printing,pick-and-place processing, and other PCB assembly processes. The fixturehas a base and a plurality of support members movably attached to thebase. The support members may project away from the base along supportpaths, and the support members are selectively positionable along thesupport paths when the support members engage a side of a printedcircuit board assembly. The support members may be selectivelypositioned at heights corresponding to a topography of the side of theprinted circuit board assembly to uniformly support the printed circuitboard assembly.

Some problems with the prior art support fixtures include substantialset-up time, the requirement of expensive or sophisticated controls, andthe inability to perform tasks on objects not accessible by manual meanssuch as when in a hazardous or sterile environment. Another significantproblem with the above described support fixture is the requirement foroperator intervention to set or reset the pins to conform to each newworkpiece. A support fixture is desired which is inexpensive and simpleto employ and significantly reduces or eliminates set-up time andoperator intervention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment, a pin locking apparatus for use in asupport fixture includes a housing, at least one pin and at least onelocking piston. The housing includes at least one locking bore and atleast one pin bore. The at least one pin is slidably contained withinthe pin bore and is positioned by application of pressure in the pinbore. The at least one locking piston is slidably contained within thelocking bore and is actuated by pressure in the locking bore to apply alocking force on the pin.

Another aspect is a method of positioning and locking a pin. The stepsinclude applying a first fluid pressure to raise a pin to a desiredposition and applying a second fluid pressure to move a locking pistonso that it engages and locks the pin at the desired location.

A further aspect is a method of operating a pin locking apparatus formanufacturing workpieces which comprises locking the pins of a pinlocking apparatus to secure a first workpiece, unlocking the pins of thepin locking apparatus, and automatically relocking the pins of the pinlocking apparatus to secure a second workpiece.

According to another embodiment, a system for setting and resetting pinsfor use in manufacturing a workpiece comprises a pin locking apparatushaving a plurality of pins; and a host machine that provides a signal tothe pin locking apparatus to facilitate the automatic setting andresetting of the pins of the pin locking apparatus.

According to another embodiment, a system for setting and resetting pinsfor use in manufacturing a workpiece comprises a pin locking apparatushaving a plurality of pins, and a controller which is capable ofautomatically setting and resetting the pins of the pin lockingapparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a pin locking apparatus according toone embodiment.

FIGS. 2A-2E are schematic cross-sectional views of a pin lockingapparatus depicting the steps locking and unlocking pins.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a pin locking apparatusaccording to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a pin locking apparatusaccording to third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is cross-sectional view of a pin locking apparatus according to afourth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a view of two pin locking apparatuses in cross-section shownemployed with a workpiece.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart diagram showing the process steps according toone exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic of pin locking system according to an exemplaryembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

This application hereby incorporates by reference the entire disclosurein U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/394,536, filed Jul. 8, 2002,and PCT Application Serial No. PCT/US02/38203, filed Nov. 26, 2002.

This description of embodiments is intended to be read in connectionwith the accompanying drawing(s), which are to be considered part of theentire written description of this invention. In the description,relative terms such as “horizontal,” “vertical,” “up,” “down,” “top”,“bottom”, “front”, “back”, “forward”, and “rearward”, as well asderivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,”etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then describedor as shown in the drawing figure under discussion. These relative termsare for convenience of description and normally are not intended torequire a particular orientation.

FIG. 1 shows a portion of an exemplary pin locking apparatus 1. Pinlocking apparatus 1 has a housing 100, pin 40 and locking piston 11.Housing 100 includes lock plate 10, cylinder block 20, and base plate30. Although shown as separate pieces assembled together, two or more ofthe preceding elements may be formed from a single piece of material.Lock plate 10 includes locking piston 11 a locking bore 12, a pinlocking channel 13, and a pin opening 14. Preferably, locking bore 12 isa horizontally bored hole, which movably retains the locking piston 11.Preferably, locking piston 11 includes an o-ring 15. The pin lockingchannel 13 is preferably also a horizontally bored hole, which isfluidly connected to the locking bore 12 and preferably has a smallerdiameter than the locking bore. (As an alternative to having a separatereduced-diameter pin locking channel, the pin locking apparatus may havean extended constant-diameter locking bore 12 which can additionallyperform the functions of the pin locking channel (i.e., fluidlyconnecting one side of the locking bore 12 to a source of pressurizedfluid or vacuum). Where a locking bore 12 with only a single diameter isemployed, preferably the pin locking apparatus has a means forrestricting movement of the locking piston, such as a stop adjacent tothe locking bore or projecting from a side wall of the locking bore.)The pin locking channel 13 is fluidly connected to a pneumatic devicefor delivery of fluid pressure (preferably air pressure) or vacuum toallow the locking piston 11 to engage or disengage a shaft 41. The pinopening 14 is sized to guide a shaft 41 of the pin 40 as it is extendedand retracted in the pin locking apparatus 1. Pin opening 14 should besmaller in diameter than a piston 42 of the pin 40 to ensure that thepin 40 is retained within the pin locking apparatus 1 when pressure isapplied to raise the pins 40. Preferably, lock plate 10 is formed ofaluminum, but may be made of any suitable material.

Cylinder block 20 includes a pin bore 21. Pin bore 21 is a verticallybored hole for slidably engaging a piston 42 of the pin 40. Pin bore 21is fluidly connected to a pin adjustment channel 31 of base plate 30.The diameter of the pin bore 21 corresponds to the diameter of piston 42and is preferably sized so that some amount of air may pass by thepiston 42. Preferably, cylinder block 20 is made of aluminum, but may bemade of any suitable material.

Base plate 30 includes a pin adjustment channel 31 for delivering airpressure and vacuum to the pin bore 21 of the cylinder block 20.Preferably, pin adjustment channel 31 is a horizontally bored hole. Thepin adjustment channel 31 is fluidly connected to a pneumatic device 60(see FIG. 3) for delivery of air pressure or vacuum to extend or retracta shaft 41. (Alternatively, or in addition to the use of air pressure toextend the shaft, the shaft may be extended by spring force.)Preferably, base plate 30 is made of aluminum, but may be made of anysuitable material.

Pin 40 includes a shaft 41 and a piston 42. Shaft 41 is slidablyreceived in pin opening 14. Preferably, shaft 41 includes a cap 43 madeof a soft, resilient or deformable material, such as plastic or acomplaint rubber material, for supporting an object, especially inapplications where there is a chance of marking or otherwise damaging aworkpiece. Pin 40 may consist of one piece with a different diameter forshaft 41 and piston 42, or two separate pieces that are mated together.Pin 40 is preferably made from a hard material such as steel so that itis not damaged by the locking piston 50 being wedged against it. Thematerial should also preferably be rigid so that it provides adequatesupport to a workpiece 50.

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2E, the steps of positioning a shaft 41 to adesired location to support a workpiece and resetting the shaft 41 areillustrated. FIG. 2A shows the pin locking apparatus 1 in an unlocked(or reset) position. FIG. 2B illustrates the step of applying airpressure via the pin adjustment channel 31 to extend the pin 40 untilthe shaft 41 engages a workpiece 50 upon which a task is to beperformed. (As stated above, the pin may also be extended by springforce.) Preferably air pressure is applied using a pneumatic device 60,such as an air compressor. The pressure is preferably just enough toraise the pin 40 lightly until the shaft 41 contacts the surface of theworkpiece to be supported.

FIG. 2C illustrates the step of applying air pressure via the pinlocking channel 13 to move a locking piston 11 so that it engages andlocks the shaft 41 of a pin 40 at the desired location. Air pressurecontinues to be applied via the pin adjustment channel 13 at least untilthe shaft 41 is locked by engagement by the locking piston 11.Preferably air pressure applied to the move the locking piston 11 isalso applied using a pneumatic device 60, such as an air compressor. Asingle pneumatic device may supply air pressure to both air channels 13,31 or separate pneumatic devices may be employed.

FIG. 2D illustrates the step of removing the air pressure applied toraise the pin 40. The shaft 41 remains locked at the desired position bythe frictional engagement of the locking piston 11. Preferably, the airpressure applied via the pin locking channel 13 is maintained until thetask being performed on the workpiece is completed. For supporting lightor delicate objects, where less force is required, the frictional forcecan be regulated by adjusting the air pressure being applied to thelocking piston 11.

FIG. 2E illustrates the step of disengaging the locking piston 11 fromthe shaft 41 to reset the pin locking apparatus 1 for a differentoperation. To disengage the shaft 41, vacuum is applied via the pinlocking channel 13 to move the locking piston 11 in the locking bore 12away from shaft 41. Preferably vacuum is applied using a pneumaticdevice 60, such as a vacuum pump. A single pneumatic device may supplyboth vacuum and air pressure to the air channels 13, 31, or separatepneumatic devices may be employed. Preferably, while vacuum is appliedto the pin locking channel 13, vacuum is also being applied to the pinadjustment channel 31 to aid in retracting the pin 40 from itsheightened position. However, in certain circumstances, vacuum to thepin adjustment channel 31 may not be necessary, since gravity may act toretract the pin 40. Once the locking piston 11 has been disengaged andthe shaft 41 has been retracted, the vacuum may be removed from the airchannels 13, 31. The pin locking apparatus 1 is then reset and ready foruse with a different workpiece.

As stated above, one or more pneumatic devices 60 may be employed tosupply air pressure and vacuum to the pin locking apparatus 1. In onepreferred embodiment, the pneumatic device 60, and therefore the settingand resetting (or locking and unlocking) of the pin locking apparatus 1,is controlled by a controller 80 (See FIG. 3), such as a computer, whichautomatically and sequentially controls the device. The controller 80preferably contains the logic and switching devices which orchestratesthe sequence of operations of any employed pin locking apparatus 1, 3,4, 5, 96. The pneumatic device 60 may also be controlled manually.

Referring to FIG. 3, a pin locking system 90 is shown, wherein the pinlocking apparatus 3 (or the pneumatic device 60 that operates the pinlocking apparatus) may be triggered to set or reset the pins by one ormore host machine devices 70 that are involved in the assembly of theworkpiece being manufactured. For example, where circuit boards arebeing manufactured, for example, the pin locking apparatus 3 orpneumatic device 60 may be triggered to set, unlock and/or reset thepins by devices such as a solder paste printer, a pick and placemachine, a C & C milling machine, a board clamp device, and/or a drillpress, or any other machine or assembly device performing an operationon the workpiece. One or more of these devices provide a signal to thepin locking apparatus 3, either directly or through the pneumatic device60 or controller 80, for example, to trigger the setting, unlockingand/or resetting of the pins. The employment of the host machine device70 may advantageously allow the system 90 to automatically reset foreach workpiece without any need for operator intervention.

Referring to FIG. 8, a schematic of an embodiment of a pin lockingsystem 95 is shown, including at least one pin locking apparatus 96, adistribution manifold 62, a controller 80, and a sensing mechanism 98.The pin locking system also preferably includes a pneumatic device (notshown) which is connected to the controller 80, or, alternatively, isintegral with the controller 80. Preferably, the controller 80 includestwo lines 82, 84 for controlling the air pressure and vacuum to the pinlocking apparatuses 96, which are preferably connected to thedistribution manifold 62 (or alternatively may be connected directly tothe pin locking apparatuses 96). The distribution manifold 62 can dividethe air pressure and vacuum from the lines 82, 84 of the controller 80into a plurality of lines 64, 65, 66, 67 to support a plurality of pinlocking apparatuses 96.

Alternatively, or in addition to, the sensing mechanism 98, the pinlocking system 95 may include a manual input device 99. The sensingmechanism 98, which triggers the pin locking apparatus 96 to set,unlock, and/or reset the pins, may be, for example, an optical sensingdevice or a pressure sensor, but may include a variety of other sensingdevices. The controller 80 preferably includes a plug 94 or other inputmeans into which the sensing mechanism 98 is connected. The sensingmechanism 98 (such as an optical sensor or pressure sensor) may operateby sensing the presence of a workpiece at the location of the pinlocking apparatus 96, thereby signaling the controller 80 toautomatically reset (lift and lock) the pins. The sensing mechanismcould likewise sense the absence of the workpiece, such as when it hasleft the pin locking apparatus 96, and thereby signal the controller 80to unlock and lower the pins to prepare for a subsequent workpiece. Thesensing mechanism may advantageously allow the system 95 toautomatically reset for each workpiece without any need for operatorintervention.

The manual input device 99, which also operates to trigger the pinlocking apparatus, may be, for example, a mechanism which has buttons 97(e.g., “up” and “down” buttons) or switches for allowing an operator toset (lift) or unlock (lower) the pins. The controller 80 preferablyincludes a plug 94 or other input means into which the manual inputdevice 99 is connected. This use of a manual input device 99 mayadvantageously allow an operator to choose when to reset the pin lockingapparatus 96 as opposed to having it automatically reset to eachworkpiece.

FIGS. 3-5 show other embodiments of a pin locking apparatus, eachincluding a plurality of pins 40, a plurality of locking pistons 11, anda housing 300, 400, 500 including a plurality of locking bores 12 thatmovably contain respective locking pistons 11, a plurality of pin bores21 each capable of movably containing a respective pin 40, a pin lockingchannel 313, 413, 513 fluidly connected to each locking bore 12, and apin adjustment channel 331, 431, 531 fluidly connected to each pin bore21. Preferably the locking pistons 11, locking bores 12 and pin lockingchannel 313, 413, 513 are contained within a lock plate 10, the pinbores 12 are contained within a cylinder block 20 and the pin adjustmentchannel 331, 431, 531 is contained within a bottom plate 30. Further,these pin locking apparatuses 3, 4, 5 preferably also include an o-ring15 on each locking piston 50, and air connection means, such asconnection ports 32, for connecting the pin locking channel and pinadjustment channel to a pneumatic device 60. Preferably the pins 40 andcorresponding pin bores 21 are arranged in one or more rows. The numberof rows and pins, as well as the spacing between pins, can be varieddepending on the size and make-up of the workpiece. The pin lockingapparatuses 3, 4, 5 may further include one or more pneumatic devices 60for supplying air pressure or vacuum to such apparatuses. The method ofsetting and resetting (or locking and unlocking) the pins of these pinlocking apparatuses is essentially the same as that described above withrespect to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, a pin locking apparatus 3 is shown wherein thelocking plate 10 of housing 300 has a plurality of pin locking channels313 and the base plate 30 has a plurality of pin adjustment channels331. Pin locking apparatus 3 includes a first and second external airconduit 301, 302. The first external air conduit 301 is fluidlyconnected to each pin locking channel 313. The second external airconduit 302 is fluidly connected to each pin adjustment channel 331. Thefirst and second external air conduits 301, 302 preferably include anair connection means, such as connection ports 32, for connecting theexternal air conduits to a pneumatic device 60.

Referring to FIG. 4, another embodiment of the invention is shown thatis similar to the embodiment of FIG. 3, except that rather than having aportion of the air flow means of the pin locking apparatus 4 plumbedexternally, the means of air flow is essentially completely internal.The single pin locking channel 413 is enclosed within the lock plate 10of housing 400 and branches to fluidly connect to each locking bore 12.Likewise, the single pin adjustment channel 431 is enclosed within thebase plate 30 and branches to fluidly connect to each pin bore 21.Preferably, the pin locking apparatus 4 includes an air connectionmeans, such as connection ports 32, for fluidly connecting the airchannels 413, 431 to a pneumatic device 60.

Referring to FIG. 5, another embodiment of the invention is shownwherein the pin locking apparatus 5 includes at least two rows of pins40 with opposing and aligned locking pistons 11. As can be understoodfrom FIG. 5, a single pin locking channel 513 in housing 500 is fluidlyconnected to the locking bores 12 that movably contain the lockingpistons 11, which in turn engage the respective shafts 41 in the twoaligned rows of pins 40. Likewise, a single pin adjustment channel 531is fluidly connected to each pin bore 21 which movably retain thepistons 42 in the two aligned rows of pins 40. Preferably, the pinlocking apparatus 5 includes an air connection means, such as connectionports 32, for fluidly connecting the air channels 513, 531 to apneumatic device 60.

FIG. 6 illustrates two pin locking apparatuses 4 employed in conjunctionwith each other to grip or lift a workpiece 50. Although illustratedusing the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the embodiments of FIGS. 3 or 5may be used, as well as other embodiments using two or more rows ofpins.

Referring to FIG. 7, a method of operating a pin locking apparatus formanufacturing workpieces according to one embodiment includes locking(or setting) 702 the pins of a pin locking apparatus to secure a firstworkpiece, unlocking 704 the pins of the pin locking apparatus, andautomatically relocking (or resetting) 706 the pins of the pin lockingapparatus to secure a second or subsequent workpiece. Preferably, theinitial locking or setting of the pins and the unlocking of the pins arealso performed automatically. Preferably these steps occur without anyoperator intervention. Also preferably, the step of relocking occurs nomore than three seconds after the pins are unlocked. However, the stepof relocking may occur more than three seconds after the pins areunlocked, but preferably occurs within an amount of time that does notinterfere with the normal operation of any machine that is beingemployed to assemble the workpiece. This automatic relocking abilityadvantageously allows the pin locking apparatus to quickly reconform toa subsequent workpiece or any number of subsequent workpieces having astructural difference from the previous workpiece that was secured bythe pin locking apparatus. This is especially beneficial in themanufacture of circuit boards where slight deviations are often presentbetween individual circuit boards and readjustment of the supportfixture is beneficial for maintaining circuit boards of good quality.Current support fixtures either fail to compensate for deviations insubsequent workpieces or require operator intervention betweensubsequent workpieces to reset the support fixture to conform to eachsubsequent workpiece.

Although the invention has been described in terms of exemplaryembodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claimsshould be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodimentsof the invention which may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention. Forexample, although shown in the figures as including one or two rows ofpins per pin locking apparatus, the pin locking apparatus may containany number of rows, which may contain pins that are aligned orunaligned, and have various spacing or distances between the pins.

1. A pin locking apparatus comprising: a housing having: at least onelocking bore, at least one pin bore, at least one pin slidably containedwithin the pin bore and positioned by application of pressure in the pinbore, wherein the pin has a shaft and a cap made of a material softerthan the shaft; and at least one locking piston slidably containedwithin the locking bore and actuated by pneumatic pressure in thelocking bore to apply a locking force on the pin.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a pin locking channelfluidly connected to apply pressure or vacuum to the locking bore, and apin adjustment channel fluidly connected to apply pressure or vacuum tothe pin bore.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein: the locking piston,locking bore and pin locking channel are contained in a locking plate,said locking plate includes a pin opening, and the pin opening isaligned with the pin bore.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the pinbore is contained within a cylinder block.
 5. The apparatus of claim 2,wherein the pin adjustment channel is contained within a bottom plate.6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the pin bore is contained within acylinder block, and wherein the pin adjustment channel is containedwithin a bottom plate.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the lockingplate, cylinder block and bottom plate are separate pieces that areassembled together.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the lockingplate, cylinder block and bottom plate are formed from a single piece ofmaterial.
 9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the locking pistonincludes an o-ring seal
 10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the pinincludes a piston and a shaft, the piston having a greater diameter thanthe shaft.
 11. (canceled)
 12. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein thelocking piston has a locking position for locking the pin at a desiredheight and an unlocking position, and wherein the locking piston engagesthe pin in the locking position and is remote from the pin in theunlocking position.
 13. The pin locking apparatus of claim 1, wherein:the housing has a plurality of locking bores that includes the at leastone locking bore, the housing has a plurality of pin bores that includesthe at least one pin bore, the apparatus has a plurality of pinsslideably contained within respective ones of the plurality of pinbores, each pin positioned by application of pressure in thecorresponding pin bore, and the apparatus has a plurality of lockingpistons, each slideably contained within a respective locking bore, eachlocking piston actuated by pressure in the corresponding locking bore toapply a locking force on the corresponding pin in that locking bore. 14.The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the housing further comprises a pinlocking channel fluidly connected to apply pressure or vacuum to thelocking bores, and a pin adjustment channel fluidly connected to applypressure or vacuum to the pin bores.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14further comprising a first external air conduit which is fluidlyconnected to each pin locking channel and a second external air conduitwhich is fluidly connected to each pin adjustment channel.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 14, wherein the pin locking channel and the pinadjustment channel is enclosed within the pin locking apparatus.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 16, wherein the pin locking channel is enclosedwithin a locking plate of the pin locking apparatus, and wherein the pinadjustment channel is enclosed with a base plate of the pin lockingapparatus.
 18. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising airconnection means for connecting the pin locking channel to a pneumaticdevice.
 19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the pin locking apparatusincludes at least two rows of pins with opposing locking pistons. 20.The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a pneumatic device,wherein the pneumatic device is fluidly connected to one or both of thepin locking channel and the pin adjustment channel.
 21. The apparatus ofclaim 20, wherein the pneumatic device provides one or both of pressureand vacuum to one or both of the pin locking channel and the pinadjustment channel for locking and unlocking the piston units.
 22. Theapparatus of claim 14 comprising first and second pneumatic devices, thefirst pneumatic device fluidly connected to the pin locking channel andthe second pneumatic device fluidly connected to the pin adjustmentchannel.
 23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the pneumatic device iscontrolled by a programmable controller.
 24. The apparatus of claim 21,wherein the pneumatic device is controlled manually.
 25. A method ofpositioning and locking a pin and then releasing the pin comprising thesteps of: applying a first fluid pressure to raise a pin from a pinstart position to a desired position, applying a pneumatic pressure tomove a locking piston from a piston start position so that the lockingpiston engages and locks the pin at the desired location; removing thefirst fluid pressure; removing the pneumatic pressure to unlock thelocking piston; and applying a vacuum to the pin to retract the pin tothe pin start position and to the locking piston to retract the lockingpiston to the piston start position.
 26. (canceled)
 27. (canceled) 28.(canceled)
 29. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of applyingpressure to raise and vacuum to retract the pin is performed by applyingfluid pressure or vacuum through a pin adjustment channel, and whereinthe step of applying pressure to move and vacuum to disengage thelocking piston is performed by applying fluid pressure or vacuum througha pin locking channel.
 30. The method of claim 29, wherein each step isperformed by a pneumatic device.
 31. The method of claim 30, wherein thepneumatic device is automatically controlled via a programmablecontroller.
 32. The method of claim 30, wherein the pneumatic device iscontrolled manually.
 33. A method of operating a pin locking apparatusfor manufacturing workpieces comprising: (a) locking the pins of a pinlocking apparatus to secure a first workpiece by: i. applying a firstfluid pressure to raise each pin from a pin start position to a desiredposition, ii applying a pneumatic pressure to move a locking piston froma piston start position so that the locking piston engages and locks thepin at the desired location; and iii removing the first fluid pressure;(b) unlocking the pins of the pin locking apparatus by: i. removing thepneumatic pressure to unlock the locking piston; and ii applying avacuum to the pin to retract the pin to the pin start position and tothe locking piston to retract the locking piston to the piston startposition; and (c) automatically relocking the pins of the pin lockingapparatus to secure a second workpiece.
 34. The method of claim 33,wherein the step of automatically relocking the pins is performedwithout operator intervention.
 35. The method of claim 33, wherein thestep of automatically relocking occurs no more than three seconds afterthe pins are unlocked.
 36. The method of claim 33, wherein the pins arelocked in a different configuration in relocking step (c) than the pinsare configured in locking step (a).
 37. The method of claim 33, whereinthe workpiece is a circuit board.
 38. The method of claim 33, whereinthe locking and relocking of the pin locking apparatus is triggered by ahost machine device that is involved in the manufacture of theworkpiece.
 39. The method of claim 38, wherein the work piece is acircuit board and the host machine is one of a solder paste printer, apick and place machine, a milling machine, a board clamp device, and adrill press.
 40. The method of claim 39, wherein the pins of the pinlocking apparatus conformably support the first and second workpieces.41. The method of claim 33, wherein the locking, unlocking, andrelocking of the pin locking apparatus is triggered by a sensingmechanism.
 42. The method of claim 33, wherein steps (a) and (b) areperformed automatically.
 43. A system for setting, unlocking and/orresetting pins for use in manufacturing a workpiece comprising: at leastone pin locking apparatus having a plurality of pins and a likeplurality of locking pistons, wherein the plurality of pins are operableby a first pneumatic pressure and wherein the plurality of lockingpistons are operable by a second pneumatic pressure, wherein the pinsand the locking pins are resettable by activation of a vacuum on boththe pins and the locking pins; and a host machine that provides a signalto the pin locking apparatus to facilitate the automatic setting andresetting of the pins of the pin locking apparatus.
 44. The system ofclaim 43, wherein the signal from the host machine is provided to thepin locking apparatus via a controller.
 45. The system of claim 43,wherein the signal from the host machine is provided to the pin lockingapparatus via a programmable controller.
 46. The system of claim 43,wherein the workpiece is a circuit board and the host machine is asolder paste printer, a pick and place machine, a milling machine, aboard clamp device, or a drill press.
 47. The system of claim 43,further including a workpiece supported by the pins of the pin lockingapparatus, and wherein the pins of the pin locking apparatus comfortablysupport the workpiece.
 48. A system for setting, unlocking, and/orresetting pins for use in manufacturing a workpiece comprising: at leastone pin locking apparatus having a plurality of pins and a likeplurality of locking pistons, wherein the plurality of pins are operableby a first pneumatic pressure, wherein the plurality of locking pistonsare operable by a second pneumatic pressure, and wherein the pluralityof pins and the plurality of locking pistons are resettable byactivation of a vacuum on both the pins and the locking pins; and acontroller which is capable of automatically setting and resetting thepins of the pin locking apparatus.
 49. The system of claims 48, furtherincluding a sensing mechanism, wherein the sensing mechanism triggersthe controller to set, unlock and/or reset the pins.
 50. The system ofclaim 49, wherein the sensing mechanism is one or more of an opticalsensor or a pressure sensor.
 51. The system of claim 48, furtherincluding a manual input device, wherein the manual input devicetriggers the controller to set, unlock, and/or reset the pins.
 52. Thesystem of claim 48, further including a pneumatic device which isconnected to the controller.
 53. The system of claim 52, furtherincluding a distribution manifold which is connected to the controllerand the at least one pin locking apparatus.